February 28th, 2015

Collectors Corner AN ECLECTIC VOYAGE THROUGH VERY RARE AND HIGHLY COLLECTABLE WORLD TEXTILES

AN ECLECTIC VOYAGE THROUGH VERY RARE AND HIGHLY COLLECTABLE WORLD TEXTILES

By Louis-Sebastien Ohl

Louis Sebastien OHL, an avid textile collector, will share his knowledge and expertise of how to approach collecting textiles. He will illustrate his talk with 20 to 25 exclusively selected pieces from his extensive and distinguished textile collection which will include tribal and village textiles, and those from provenances as diverse as Northern India, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Southwest China, Indonesia, Central Asia, Morocco and more. Louis Sebastien will point out what makes some textiles exceptional museum-like quality, and will detail several criteria for evaluating the pieces that he will present, explain what makes these exceptional within their category or family of textiles. Such criteria include age, symbols and rituals, color, design, condition, uniqueness within their group, innovative power, evolving tastes and others.

Each peace will be introduced with comparative references and participants will be invited to discuss and share their point of view. Most textiles selected for the session will be 17th to 19th century pieces. The presentation will be a good opportunity for many Thai based textile lovers to see pieces and families of textiles rarely seen in Thailand. These include high-end central Asian ikat, Turkmen tribe Chirpys, a stunning Jewish wedding coffer cover, and Indian wedding Baghs recently acquired. A few rare Tai-Hun pieces, a unique Nan 19th century skirt skirts with rare design from Sam Neua/Udomxai province, a few rare Cambodian Cham wedding textiles, a
superb antique indigo Naga blanket of the most powerful design known, will be shown as well.

Lastly, a selection of Indonesian pieces will be shared among which a centuries-old songkit form Borneo with the rarest “Indian patola dancers motif, a double white bands Lampung skirt from Sumatra, with figurative designs, dating probably back to the 18/17th century, and several other rare Timor and Sumba chiefdom textiles.